Cardiff in law school first as it unveils live lion mascot

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By CJ McKinney on

It’s the pride of the Russell Group university

Image via Twitter @WelshLegalLion

Cardiff University has made an unorthodox appointment to its law department, with students being greeted at freshers’ week by a creature calling itself the Welsh Legal Lion.

Dr Russell Sandberg, head of law at the Russell Group university, told Legal Cheek that the big cat will pitch in with his department’s recruitment and engagement strategy, attending open days and induction events to give “an alternative view on what it’s like to study law at Cardiff”.

The Cardiff cat “may or may not have eaten people in the past”, Sandberg cautions, but as law students know, ferocious lecturers and sharp-tongued tutors are an occasional hazard on any campus. You can follow his or her adventures via Twitter at @WelshLegalLion.

The leonine appointment is thought to be a law school first:

But Oxford Brookes prof Peter Edge claims that his uni now has an Illegal Iguana on the prowl:

Not exactly as cuddly as it could be, but an improvement on the mascot on offer at UCL. The top rated London university has on display the mortal remains of 18th century academic and jurisprudence syllabus staple Jeremy Bentham.

Sandberg won’t be drawn on the lion’s identity, saying that the question causes the big cat “philosophical angst”. Even the Legal Lion moniker is only temporary: Cardiff students will be able to vote on a permanent name next week.

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